Time Warped
by ElyzaHere
Summary: It's the beginning of summer! And who has plans to do absolutely nothing? Sonic of course! At least, he thought so...When our blue blur encounters a young hedgehog who seems to know everything about him, he embarks on a journey 30 years into the future! What happens to Sonic's friends? Who is this young hedgehog? And will this adventure be more than Sonic bargained for?
1. Chapter 1

It was the end of spring, and the beginning of summer. The day is warm and sunny. The meadows are filled with the beautiful flowers that bloomed in the rainy spring. The wind blows slightly across the meadow, the grass sways gently as it takes in the rays from the bright sun. Bees are still buzzing, and the birds just returned from their long journey south. Nothing could be more peaceful than today. In the middle of the meadow, stands a tree. It's an exceptional size, not too high, and not too low. The branches twisted and swirled in various different directions, and pink blossoms took the place of leaves and covered the entire tree. It was firm, but also very old. It was a tree you would only see in a fairy tale. Under the tree, just by the roots, a little blue hedgehog is relaxing under the shade. He took a deep breath, and could smell the sweet scent of the blossoms."Ahhh, summer. How I just love you!" he sighed. As he slowly dozed off, a certain someone was watching him. They quietly tip toed to the blue hedgehog, and sat in the tree branch above. They giggled once they heard a slight snore coming from their friend. Quickly, they wrapped their legs around the branch and let themselves hang upside down, so that they were face to face with the hedgehog."BOO!" they exclaimed. The hedgehog jumped awake, startled by the sudden voice. He was about to say something rather rude when he realized who it was. He laughed."Oh, it's you! Ha! You got me there, Tails!" he said. Tails grinned and hopped down from the branch. He sat next to his friend the watched the skies with him."So, Sonic, what are you planning for the summer?" Tails asked. Sonic yawned, and out his hands behind his head."Absolutely nothing.." he said happily. Tails laughed."Really? Nothing? You're not gonna go on any adventures? At all?" he was surprised, Sonic usually goes everywhere during the summer.  
"Nah, I think I'm just gonna relax this time. I could use the time to slow down, right?" Sonic said. Tails nodded, and smiled."Hey! Since you're not planning anything, you wanna help test out my new invention?" he asked hopefully. Sonic thought for a moment, and looked at Tails, who was giving him the most adorable puppy dog eyes. Sonic wanted to say no, but it was hard for anyone to resist Tails and Cream's stare. He tried to look away."Tails, don't you DARE do the-" Tails flopped his ear to the side, and twitched it. Sonic stared at him, and bit his lip."..ear thing..." he finished. After a few more seconds, Sonic finally gave in, and Tails fist pumped in victory.

-

"Alright, now hold still!" Tails said as he positioned Sonic to stand on a circle. Sonic crossed his arms and rolled his eyes."Tails, what are you-"

"Don't move!"

Sonic sighed and uncrossed his arms. His eyes suddenly grew wide as Tails pulled out a device that looked like a gun."Uh...Tails? What is that?" he said nervously. Tails didn't respond, and positioned the device in front of Sonic. He stood behind it, and his face looked like he just saw a bad skateboard accident."Okay, Sonic..Now, um...this might..._hurt_..." Sonic's pupils shrunk."HURT?!" Suddenly, Tails pressed a button, and a laser shot Sonic square in the chest."GAH!" Sonic clenched his chest, and stumbled backwards. He reached the end of the platform and fell over the edge. Tails nervously peeked over his desk."Um..Sonic? Are you..okay?" Sonic groaned in pain, and slowly stood up. As Sonic stepped back on the platform, Tails stared at him with wide eyes."Ugh, what's wrong?" Sonic asked in confusion. Tails put his hand against his mouth, to hold his laughter back. Sonic tilted his head and put his hand on his hips, which were a lot rounder than he remembered. Suddenly, Tails started bursting out on laughter. Sonic was now starting to get irritated."TAILS! HUH?" his voice was now a lot higher. He grabbed his throat and blinked a few times."WHA? WHAT HAPPENED TO MY VOICE?! TAILS! WHAT DID YOU DO TO ME?!" he yelled. Tails laughed even harder. All the ruckus caused Knuckles and Amy to check out what was going on."Hey! What's going on her-" Knuckles froze once he saw Sonic. Amy's mouth dropped. The both of them started to laugh. Tails finally calmed down, and wiped a small tear from his eye. He handed Sonic a mirror. Sonic took one look into it and gasped in horror."TAILS! I'M A GIRL!" he yelled as he dropped the mirror. Knuckles and Amy were still laughing. Sonic looked down and realized he was wearing Amy's dress, he even had the same hair style as her."YOU TURNED ME INTO AMY? IS THIS SOME KIND OF JOKE?!" he yelled. Tails laughed again."No! It was supposed to change you appearance so you would be in disguise, but I think I accidentally put it on the wrong settings!" Sonic crossed his arms and gritted his teeth."Well can you change me back now?! I don't want to be in Amy's body! I feel weird!" he pleaded.  
(Authors Note : This scene sounds completely unnecessary, but trust me, it's important.)

It was now later on, and Sonic was his normal self again. Knuckles kept teasing him by asking him what he thought about being Amy. Sonic just grunted and ran off. Amy came from the kitchen with a platter of food."Hey, where's Sonic?" she asked."He left." Amy frowned.  
"Where is he going?"

"Didn't say, but Tails said he wasn't planning on doing anything."

Amy placed the food on a nearby table. She sat on a chair and thought for a moment. Her eyes suddenly sparkled and she jumped in joy."If he doesn't have any plans, that means that he can't possibly have an excuse to not go on a date with me!" she giggled and dashed out the door. Knuckles rolled his eyes."Of course..." he said as he flipped through the T.V channels.

-

Amy searches around for any sign of Sonic, but eventually gets tired and rests in the meadow. She sits under the blossom tree and watches the sunset. The cool wind blows across her face, and she takes in the scent of the flowers. She smiles and closes her eyes. Then, she remembers something. She sighs."Well, I guess it's too late to ask him now..." she says as she brushes herself off and walks away. Suddenly, she hears a familiar voice behind her.

"_Amy..? What are you doing here..?"_

  
Amy froze and turned around to see someone standing behind her."Sonic? It's really you!" she said. Sonic looked at his feet."Um...yeah, last time I checked..heh.." he laughed. Amy stared at him. The light from the sunset made his emerald green eyes glow in a way that she's never seen before. She smiled a little, but was snapped out of her trance when Sonic waved his hand in front of her face."Uh..hello? Are ya gonna answer my question?" he said nervously. Amy shook her head and came back to reality."Oh, um..I was looking for you!" she said gleefully. Sonic put on a fake smile."..Oh.." Amy walked up to Sonic, and smiled back. He walked away and sat under the blossom tree."So, what is it now?" he said while putting his hands behind head. Amy slowly walked up to him."Well..Knuckles said that you weren't planning on doing anything anytime soon.." her voice was softer. Sonic raised his eyebrow in suspicion.  
"And I was just wondering if...maybe..we could.." she sat down next to him and leaned in."..go on a _date_..?" she finished. Sonic looked unamused. He snorted and closed his eyes. Amy frowned."Aw come on! Can't you just give a girl a chance?!" she said irritably. Sonic ignored her. Amy stood up and walked into a patch of flowers. She sat down and sighed."You know, Sonic, I wish that you could give me at least some attention.." she said with her head low. Sonic opened his left eye, and looked at Amy. She looked genuinely sad...he didn't like it. He sighed and walked over to her. He stopped and picked a white flower before sitting beside her. He put the flower in her face and scratched the back of his head."Um...here.." he said. Amy looked at him, and took the flower. She was slightly touched by his gesture, but she was still disappointed."Thank you..." She stared at the flower. An awkward silence followed. Amy grew impatient."OH WHY NOT?!" she blurted out. Sonic was startled by her sudden outburst.  
"Why not what?" he said.

"Why won't you go on a date with me? I mean, you have nothing else to do! It's just one date! Please?"

Sonic tried to come up with an excuse, but sadly, she was right. He really did have nothing to do. He could just run away. He looked out to the meadow, and was just about ready to dart when he felt a tight pressure around his waist."Oh no you don't! I know what you're thinking, and I'm not letting you leave without a good excuse on why you can't go on a date with me!" Amy said as she held Sonic in a pre-death hug. Sonic rolled his eyes."Heh, you really do know me, huh?" he chuckled. Amy smiled."Yup!" Sonic knew he had no other choice. He sighed."FINE, I'll take you on a date..." he groaned. Amy's eyes glimmered."REALLY?" she said happily. She loosened her grip around Sonic, and put her hands together."Oh thank you Sonic! You're the best!" she said as she leaned in to kiss him on the cheek. Sonic placed a finger on her lips, and gently pushed her back."But, there are rules..first of all, NO KISSING!" he said firmly. Amy nodded her head, and pulled away. Sonic made a peace sign with his fingers to symbolize the number two.

"Second, no cuddling, and finally...no trying to make me fall in love with you..got it?"

Amy puckered her lips and crossed her arms."Ugh, fine...but I can't promise the cuddling!" she said cutely. She tapped the tip of Sonic's nose, which made him wrinkle his face in the most adorable way. Amy giggled at his cuteness. He was about to say something when he noticed that it was already night time."Um, we should probably go..." he said. Amy looked around, and realized that the sunset was over."Yeah.." Sonic picked Amy up bridal style, and dashed to her home.

Sonic set her down on her doorstep and began to walk away. Amy stopped him before he could leave."Wait!" she said as she grabbed his shoulder. Sonic looked at her."Yeah?"

"Do you promise you won't forget our date tomorrow?"

Sonic sighed."Promise." Amy smiled and gave him a hug."Thank you! Oh! And meet me at the meadow at six, kay?" she said as she made her way back to her doorstep. Sonic chuckled, and waved his hand in the air."Okay!" he said as he walked off.

"Oh! And don't be late!"

"Alright, got it!"

"One more thing, should I wear something casual or fancy?"

"GOODBYE, AMY!" Sonic laughed as he ran off. Amy giggled and watched her hero dash away. She walked inside her house and closed the door with her back. She took a moment to realize that Sonic actually agreed to go on a date with her. She jumped around her living room and squealed in joy.

"YAY! I HAVE A DATE WITH SONIC! I HAVE A DATE WITH SONIC! OH MY GOSH, WHAT SHOULD I WEAR? WHAT SHOULD I SAY?! OH WHO CARES I HAVE A DATE WITH SONIC!"

-

Sonic ran to a park, and watched the stars from a tree he climbed. He was thinking about the date.

_I wonder what we're gonna do?_

_Wait, why am I wondering about some stupid date?_

_Maybe the crazy rubbed off on you~_

No way! I'm not THAT easy to influence!

But she did get you do agree with her!

Well, that's because I had no other choice! Right?

Wrong!

Sonic kept arguing with himself for the next few hours, until he fell asleep...


	2. Chapter 2

_Sonic stood alone in a pitch black room. He was confused, and looked around for anything. A sound. A voice. Anything. He tried to gather his thoughts."Okay, Sonic, think! What happened?" he said to himself. Sonic closed his eyes and tapped his head as he tried to remember anything that he could have possibly done to end up there._

"Oh Sonic~"

"Huh?"

Sonic turned around to see a giant chili dog standing behind him. His eyes scanned the juicy goodness that was before him, and he started to drool."Holy chaos..." he muttered. The chili dog shone in the spotlight that was gleaming on it, to show all of it's tasty ingredients.  
"Come and get me~" it said. Without hesitation, Sonic took off, and started to chase down the precious chili dog. But, the more he chased it, the farther away it got.

Sonic was led down the dark room, not knowing where the chili dog was going, all he could care about was eating it."H-hey! Wait!" he said. Then, the chili dog halted. Sonic stopped in front of it, and smiled."Hehe, got you now my precious~" He said as he walked towards it. The chili dog started to speak again, but this time, it's voice was a lot less seductive and more high pitched and slightly annoying.

"HEY! WAKE UP!"

Sonic jolted awake, and jerked his head around. He looked at his hands, and realized that it was all a dream. He sighed in disappointment."Hey! Are you okay?" a voice said. Sonic looked up, and saw a little pink hedgehog sitting in front of him, watching him sleep."Huh? Amy?! What are you doing here?!" he exclaimed. The girl looked confused, but then she sighed, as if this has happened before."I'm not Amy!" she said. Sonic blinked twice, and rubbed his eyes before scanning her body. The girl had pink fur, quills that stuck out like his own, and slightly over sized ears. She was wearing a red, white, and black dress, with a stripe similar to the one on Amy's dress, but thicker and the top had a zig zag shape that ended at the waist. She wore a golden ring on each of her hands, and she wore white gloves. He looked at her eyes, which were more of a greenish-blue other than emerald or jade. She also had one cowlick like bang that stuck out to the side, slightly covering her left eye. And also, she was smaller than Amy, but bigger than Tails, so she was probably around ten years old.

This wasn't Amy.

Sonic scratched the back of his head, and felt embarrassed about his mistake, but played it cool."Oh, sorry..heh. I mistook you for someone else!" he said. The girl smiled."It's okay, I get that a lot!" she giggled. Sonic awkwardly laughed, and then realized that a random little girl was peering over him and watching him sleep. He had an anime sweat drop and skooted backwards."Um, if you don't mind me asking, why were you watching me sleep? Don't you have anything else to do?" he asked calmly, trying not to sound rude. There was an awkward silence when the girl didn't respond. She just stared at him in disbelief. Sonic waved his hand in front of her face."Uh, kid? You still here?" he said. The girl shook her head, and snapped back into reality."Huh? Oh! Sorry, I got a little distracted there! Are you Sonic The Hedgehog?" she asked. Sonic suddenly felt creeped out, and at the same time, flattered that he might have a little fan. He smiled confidently."Yes I am! The one and only!" he said with a wink. The girl's eyes lit up and she squealed in joy."It's really you?! Oh, I can't believe it!" she said as she wrapped her arms around Sonic and hugged him tightly. Sonic stiffened up, and felt a little uncomfortable, he knew this feeling all to well. This was how Amy would hug him.

"Uh, do I know you?"

The girl had a sweat drop and immediately let go of him. She scratched the back of her head and awkwardly laughed. Sonic saw this and was a little shocked. That's how he looked when he felt awkward."Oh, I'm sorry! Let me introduce myself! My name is Lily!" she said cutely as she held out her hand. Sonic squinted his eyes in suspicion as he gently shook her hand."Nice to meet you!" he said while smiling. Sonic suddenly frowned, and he looked around the park."Hey, where are your parents, Lily? You should know that it's not a good idea to peer over a random stranger that's sleeping in a tree at the park. Haven't you heard of stranger-danger?" he said. He was putting on the whole "role model" act. Lily put her hands behind her back."Well, you see, my parents aren't here.." she said nervously. Sonic had a concerned look on his face."You mean you came to the park all by yourself? Alone? With no one to watch you?"

"Uh...maybe.."

Sonic sighed."Well, Lily, I would like to talk but..I kinda have something to do today. So, you should probably go back home." he said while he hopped off the tree branch, and proceeded to carry Lily down and set her on the floor. He pat her on the head and walked off."It was nice meeting you, Lily!" he said. He ran down he path and left Lily standing under the tree. As he made his way out of the park, he halted when Lily suddenly appeared out of nowhere."Wait! Don't leave!" she exclaimed. Sonic was startled, and glanced back at the tree."Huh? What? How did you?" he was completely shocked on how she was able to move so quickly."Um, before you leave, I need your help!" Lily said. Sonic put a hand on his hip."The reason that I woke you up was because...um...I..Lost my bird! Aanndd, I'm a big fan of yours, so I was hoping that you could help me find it! Hehe!" she said. Sonic thought for a moment."What time is it?" he said.

"One o' clock!"

Sonic nodded. _I've got time_. He knelt down and put a hand on Lily's shoulder.

"Okay, fine. I'll help you find your bird, but after that I'm gonna have to go, okay?"

"Okay!"

Sonic stood up, and grinned.

"Then what are we waiting for?! Come on, a little bird couldn't be SO hard to find!"

-

"A little bird is SO hard to find!" Sonic groaned. Lily ignored him, and decided to start a conversation."So, Sonic, what's it like?" she asked. Sonic parted some bushes and looked through them."What's what like?" he said as he lifted his head out of the empty bushes."Being a hero?" Lily said. Sonic sighed."Ya know, I don't really like to use the word _hero_, I'm just a guy who helps out when I'm around!" he said happily as he brushed some leaves out of his quills. Lily smiled, and continued."Really? Heh, that must be so much fun! Being able to travel the world whenever you wanted to...where I come from, I have NO freedom..." she said glumly as she sat on a rock. Sonic frowned, and knelt down beside her."What do you mean? For a person to want freedom as much as I do, you have to have some type of it!" he said. Lily shook her head."It's not that simple, my mom would kill me if she found out that I was here." she said. Sonic sighed."Where are you from? If you don't mind me asking!" he said. Lily looked at him, and giggled."Don't worry about it, we have to find that bird, remember?"

"Oh, right! Speaking of, are you sure you really lost a bird? Because we've been walking in circles for hours now.."

Lily jolted, and put on a big smile."Of course I did! It has to be here somewhere!" she said while looking around some more bushes. Sonic squinted his eyes in suspicion, and crossed his arms. Lily kept on searching through some bushes, and Sonic noticed that she was trying to avoid eye contact. He figured she was probably nervous, but he still kept an eye on her. _Who in the world is this girl?_

Later on, Sonic realized that it was getting late."Hey, um..Lily? I think it's time you should be heading home..it's getting pretty late.." he said as he looked to the sky. It was almost sunset, and they still haven't found the bird. Lily frowned."Aww really? Come on, it has to be here somewher-"

"Lily, we've looked everywhere!"

"I know, but..I.."

"Come on, Lily, we can look for it tomorrow. What if your mom finds out? She has to be worried about you!"

"She won't! I promise! Just please, don't go!" Lily said as she grabbed Sonic's wrist. Sonic stared at her concerned look on his face.

"Why?"

"Because...I.."

"...?"

Lily finally thought of something to say."Well, it's not like you have some HOT date tonight! Right?" she said. Sonic suddenly jolted, and remembered his date with Amy."DATE? Oh I forgot the date!" he exclaimed as he internally screamed at himself. Lily watched in disbelief as Sonic drowned in his stupidity."Oh gosh! I'm sorry Lily, but if I don't go right now Amy's gonna KILL ME!" he said just before he got ready to dash away. Just before he could, Lily grabbed his arm."Wait! You can't leave yet!"

"Lily, we'll find your bird tomorrow! But I have to go!"

"This isn't about the stupid bird!"

Sonic stopped trying to wiggle his way out of her grasp."It's not?"

"No! I don't have a bird! I just needed an excuse to talk to you!"

Sonic frowned."Why? I told you earlier that I had something important to do!"

"I know, and I'm sorry! But, I have a good reason!"

"Oh really?"

"Yes!"

"Alright, what is it?"

"Uh...I'm..um.."

"...?"

Lily closed her eyes and took a deep breath. She leaned in closer to Sonic."..I'm from the future!" she whispered. There was an awkward silence, and Sonic gave her an irritated look."Lily..I don't have time to play games..Tell me the truth!" he said.

"It is the truth! And I can prove it!"

"Oh, you're gonna prove it?"

"YES! Follow me!" Lily exclaimed as she dragged Sonic away."H-hey! Lily, stop! I told you that I had a da-"

"Oh, Amy can wait!" Lily said. Sonic looked confused. _How did she know it was Amy?_

Lily led Sonic out of the park, and onto a rooftop to a high building."Lily? What are we doing here?" he said nervously. Lily let go of him, and walked to the edge of the building. She stepped on the tip of the ledge and looked down at the street below. Sonic's face grew to horror as he realized what she looked like she was about to do."Lily, what are you doing?" Lily turned around to face Sonic."Proving it!" she said. Sonic held his arms out, and slowly walked over to her.  
"Now, now, Lily. Don't play around like that. Just come back over here!"

"I'm not playing!"

"Okay, okay, I'm sorry! But, still, you don't have to do this..just step off of that ledge, and come to me.."

"Then I can't prove it!"

"You don't have to prove anything! I believe you! Just don't-"

"You don't believe me!"

"Yes I do! Just get down from there, and I'll get you back home.."

"This is my way home!"

"Lily, please, stop scaring me and come down from there.."

Sonic held out his hand to grab her, but she rejected it. She crossed her arms and smiled."Here we go!" she stepped backwards, and stumbled a little bit. Sonic felt his heart stop, and he tried to grab onto her...

She jumped.


	3. Chapter 3

"LILY, NO!"

Sonic watched in horror as Lily fell over the edge. He raced to the ledge and leaned over, trying to see where she went. He frantically looked around in different directions, and there was no sign of Lily. It was like she disappeared into thin air. Sonic's breath became quick as he tried to gather his thoughts. _What?! She's gone! Where did she-_"Looking for me?" Sonic looked straight down to see Lily sitting on thin air. He sighed with relief."Oh thank chaos! Don't do that Lily! You scared the rings outta me!" he exclaimed.

Lily laughed."What? You really thought that I was gonna jump to my death for no reason? Haha! You should have seen the look on your face!" she teased. Sonic turned red, and looked away to hide his face. He shook his head and jolted when he realized something. He looked back over the ledge to talk to the young hedgehog."Wait a second, how are you doing that?" he asked."Hmm?" Lily tilted her head in confusion, until she realized that she was still sitting in mid air."Oh! You mean this? It's a time machine!" she said as she pulled out a remote and pressed a button. Sonic watched in awe as a bright red aircraft revealed itself, and Lily was sitting in the pilot's seat."Wow..you weren't kidding.." Sonic said in disbelief. Lily smiled confidently and held out her hand."Wanna take it for a spin?" she asked. Sonic thought for a moment."Uh, I don't know..I still have to go-"

"Oh come on! It's not everyday you get to ride a time machine!"

Sonic thought again, and looked back to see the meadow. He started to argue with himself.

_I should probably get going.._

Are you crazy?! It's a time machine for crying out loud!

Yeah, I know, but I promised Amy I would go..

Oh who cares if you're a little late! Like Lily said, this is once in a lifetime!

Well, that is true, but what if she get's the hammer?!

Hammer-shmammer, she'll forgive you anyways!

Lily grew impatient as he look forever to decide. She crossed her arms."Hey, time machine's need gas too, are ya coming or not?" she asked. Sonic looked at her, and smiled."I guess it wouldn't hurt to go for a little while!"

"Haha! Now you're talking!"

Sonic hopped inside the co pilot's seat, and looked around the inside. Lily put on a hat and turned on a radio."Attention, this is your captain speaking! Please leave all hands, arms, legs, feet, and other body parts in the time machine at all times! Also, if you have any loose items, please put them in a safe place so they won't get lost. Women who are nursing or pregnant, anyone who may have health problems, or queasyness, please exit the time machine now. And lastly, please fasten you're seat belts and prepare for take off!" Lily looked at Sonic, and he took that as a sign to fasten it tightly."Uh, where are we going?" he asked.

Lily grinned, and pressed a button that started some type of engine. The aircraft shook and started to light up.

"TO THE FUTURE!"

Suddenly, the aircraft took off at the speed of light, and practically disappeared. Sonic held on to his seat as they traveled through some type of worm hole. Everything around him seemed to glow in vibrant colors. It made him feel a little uneasy. Then, as quickly as they took off, they ended up passing through the time warp and arrived in the future. Sonic opened his eyes, and looked around in awe."Whoa.." he said as he pressed his hands against the glass and looked at the city below."This is amazing!" he exclaimed. Lily grinned, and made a sharp turn to the right, heading towards a certain part of the city. As they cruised around, Lily noticed a red light beeping on the control panel, and the time machine started to lose altitude. Her face grew to horror."Uh oh.." Sonic jerked his head, and looked at her."What do you mean uh oh?!" he said. Lily started to sweat."The tank is empty! Can you fly?" she asked. Sonic nodded his head."GOOD!" Lily said as she handed him the wheel.

"W-wait! I don't know how to fly a time ma-"

Lily frantically ran to the back, and didn't return for a few minutes. Sonic tried to keep the aircraft flying, but he had no idea what he was doing."Liilllyy! What do I do?!" he said nervously. Lily returned with two helmets and plopped one on Sonic's head. She noticed he wasn't paying attention, and she grabbed to wheel and pulled it to the right to avoid an oncoming building. The time machine took a sharp turn, causing the two to be almost launched out of their seats."AAHH! WATCH OUT!" Sonic grabbed the wheel and pulled it diagonally to the left, causing it to jerk upwards and barrel rolled."AAHH! DON'T DO THAT!" Lily pushed his hands down, and caused the aircraft to nose dive straight towards the ground. Sonic pushed Lily's hands away, and pulled the wheel upwards to straighten it out. He was able to gain enough control to keep it flying a little longer. Lily looked around, and saw a house."There! Land over there!" she grabbed the wheel again an swerved the time machine and aimed for the house. She pressed a button to engage the wheels, but it was too late, and the aircraft was about to crash. Sonic saw the fear in Lily's eyes, and reacted. He pressed the eject button and grabbed Lily and pulled her close. The two hedgehogs flew out of the time machine, and Sonic curled into a ball to protect Lily. As they landed, Sonic lost his grip on Lily, and she flew out of his arms. He lifted his head, and saw the aircraft about to crash only yards away from Lily. Quickly, he dashed over to her and jumped on top of her to protect her from the any serious injury. The time machine crashed, and was completely totaled. Sonic got off of Lily, and lied down on his back next to her."Are...you...alright..?" he said in between breaths.

"Yeah...I think so.."

Lily helped Sonic up, and ran over to the now destroyed time machine."Oh no! I thought you said you knew how to fly!" Lily exclaimed. Sonic held his hands in the air."Yeah! A PLANE! NOT A TIME MACHINE!" he said. Lily groaned."Ugh, THEY ARE GOING TO KILL ME!" Lily exclaimed. Sonic was about to say something, when he noticed a cut on her forearm."Lily, your arm!" he said. Lily put a finger on her arm, and saw a little bit of blood on her fingers."Oh..great..UGH!" she suddenly got a sharp pain in her head. Sonic stopped her from falling over. He held her up, and looked around for anything that can treat the wound. He saw a water hose on the side of the house, and walked her over there. He turned it on, and put some water in his palm. He sprinkled it on the cut."Here.." Lily took a hankie out of a pocket in her dress and handed it to Sonic. He took it, and pressed it on her arm."Ow!" Lily winced in pain. Sonic frowned, and put a hand on her cheek."There, that should stop the bleeding, just hold it there, okay?" he said. Lily nodded her head, and pressed the hankie against her arm. Lily looked at Sonic, and he smiled. She smiled back, and then she heard a voice.

"Lily? Hello? What happened?!"

She frowned, and pushed Sonic into a bush."Hey! What are yo-"

"Just wait here!" she said as she walked off. Sonic heard Lily talking to another girl that sounded around the same age.

"Lily! There you are! I've been looking all over for..*gasp* What happened to your arm!"

"I'm fine, but...I'm hungry! Can you get your mom to cook up some cupcakes?"

"Um, sure! But first, I'm going to get something to treat your arm!"

The girl ran off into the house, and Lily came back to check on Sonic."Okay, she's gone, now follow me!" Lily said as she dragged Sonic into the garage."Who was that?" Sonic asked. Lily didn't answer, and she sat him down on a table. Sonic watched as she paced back and forth."Oh no, what are we gonna do?! Oh man, how are we gonna get you back home?! I'm SCREWED!" she exclaimed. Sonic watched her pace around."Hey, calm down! No need to stress yourself out!" he said reassuringly. Lily glared at him."Calm down?! How can I calm down?! First, I stole my UNCLE'S invention, THEN, we destroyed one of the only two time machines IN THE WORLD, and finally, I can't get you back without my Uncle, and if he finds out, THEN MY MOTHER IS GONNA KILL ME, AND BELIEVE ME WHEN I TELL YOU THIS, IT WILL NOT BE DONE WITH MERCY!" she yelled.  
Sonic gulped, and then opened his mouth to say something when they heard footsteps.

Lily's eyes grew wide, and threw Sonic under the table."Hide here!" she said. Sonic crawled behind it, and listened from behind the tarp."Hey, sorry I took so long! My mother ran out of frosting, and she had to make some more! Now let's get to fixing that cut!" Lily put on a fake smile, and grew nervous as the girl walked toward the table Sonic was hiding under."Now, let me just move this tarp and we can fix you up!" she said as she grabbed the tarp. Lily jump in front of her friend."Um, how about we use the other table! Over there!" she said as she pointed at the other side of the garage. Th girl looked behind her, and stared at Lily."You mean the one full of old robot parts?" Lily's smile disappeared, and she blocked the girl's hand from grabbing the tarp."Hey! Lily! Stop! What are you doing?!" she pushed Lily out of the way, and yanked on the tarp."NO!" Lily exclaimed. The tarp was yanked off to reveal Sonic crouching down behind the table. The girl's face grew to horror, and she stared at Lily.

"Lily, who is that!?"

"Um.."

"Uh, hi..I'm Sonic.."

The girl watched as Sonic came out from under the table and held out his hand to shake hers. She stared at it, and at Lily."AAHHH!" she screamed as she ran outside of the garage."Nilla! Wait!" Lily followed her outside, and grabbed her shoulder. Nilla turned around and glared at Lily.

"LILY! WHAT DID YOU DO?! WHAT IS _HE_ DOING HERE!? YOU REALLY TOOK THE TIME MACHINE!?"

"Please, Nilla, let me explain!"

"DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA WHAT AM-..." Nilla stopped, and saw Sonic watching them. She cleared her throat."Ahem, what _she's _gonna do when she find's out?!"

"She's not gonna find out! And neither is ANYONE else! Right?!"

"But-"

"RIGHT?!"

Nilla crossed her arms, and sighed."Look! I've covered for you MANY times before! But this is too far!" Lily rolled her eyes."Oh come on Nilla, you didn't cover for me THAT many times!" Nilla pulled out a scroll, and let the paper unravel itself into a long list stretching out all the way to Sonic's feet. Lily's mouth dropped."You..recorded them?"

"Every last one...since we were five..Now, do you want me to list them in alphabetical order, or by date, because I can do both!"

Lily put a hand on her heart."My, my, Nilla..I knew you had a photographic memory, but this is just crazy!" She said."Why, thank you! You know I- WAIT A SECOND! Don't think that you can just change the subject and think that I'm gonna...Oh no.." Nilla looked over, and saw the destroyed time machine. Lily awkwardly laughed."Oh, yeah..I uh...I broke the Time Machine..heh.." she said. Nilla glared at her, and clenched her fist."Lily! Do you have any idea how much trouble I'm gonna be in when my father finds out about this?! He'll have my head-" Lily pinched Nilla's lips shut.

"You mean, IF he finds out! Which will be a LOW chance, okay?"

Nilla sighed."Fine, but how are we gonna hide this from him? OR anybody? And how are we gonna get Sonic back home?! Someone has to fix it!" she exclaimed. Lily grinned. Nilla realized what she was implying."You want me to fix it..don't you?" Lily nodded her head. Nilla sighed."Fine, I'll help you..but first, we need to find a way to hide HIM," she pointed at Sonic, who was watching them."AND the time machine, then we'll need to find the blueprints, and-" Lily interrupted her."How about we do the hiding first, then we'll worry about the blue prints..kay?"

"Okay..Um, Sonic? Can you help us get the time machine inside?"

Sonic walked over to them, and helped drag it inside."Ugh, so, how's the future?" Sonic asked. Nilla looked at him."Um..it's..okay, I guess.." Sonic looked at Nilla. Her fur was yellow color, and she wore blue glasses. Instead of a dress, she had a blue jumpsuit on, with a black work belt that carried different tools and blueprints. She had a orange spot around her right eye, and four bangs on her forehead. She wore white gloves that ended at her elbow, and her hair was cut short. Her tail had a white tip, and it was rather large for her body.

As they dragged the broken time machine inside, Nilla pulled Sonic aside, and made him stand against a wall."Okay, Sonic, as you know, we can't let anybody see you, so, we're gonna have to change your appearance!" she said as she pulled out a gun. Sonic looked at the gun, and remembered what happened the last time he was hit with one of those."Wait! No! I am NOT gonna be shot with THAT THING again! NUH UH!" he said as he crossed his arms. Nilla and Lily shared a glance. Lily sighed."Fine, but we are still gonna have to change how you look." Sonic groaned."Really?" Nilla pulled out a box of dye."Yup! Your color's a dead giveaway, so we need to at least change that.." she said as she sat Sonic down on a chair. Sonic grunted, he obviously didn't like the idea of to little girls dying his fur. Lily started applying the dye on Sonic's quills.

"Are you guys sure you know what you're doing?" he asked nervously."Of course! We do this all the time!" she said as she painted his legs. Nilla cleared up a place and pulled a mattress out."Alright, um, Sonic? You're gonna gave to sleep here until we fix the machine, just in case, ya know?" she said. Sonic looked at the mattress, and was about to lie down when Lily jumped in front of him."Wait! Don't lie down yet! You have to wait until the dye sets in!" she said. Sonic stepped off the soft mattress, and sat down on a table.

A few hours passed by, and Sonic was getting impatient."How long do we have to wait?! This is boring!" he said. Lily checked the time."You should be done by now.." Sonic went outside, and washed the access dye off with the hose. When he came back, Lily took one glance at him, and gasped."It worked! But..then again.." she poked Nilla, who was asleep on the table."Huh? Did it work?" she put her glasses on and looked at Sonic."Um, kinda.." Lily giggled. Sonic looked confused, and Lily handed him a mirror."I think Nilla gave me the wrong dye! Hehe!" Sonic looked at his fur."I'm PURPLE! You made me purple!" he exclaimed. Lily put a finger on his lips."Shh! Be quiet! Listen, I know that you might not like being purple, but you're gonna have to live with it until Nilla fixes the machine! Okay? The last thing we need is for you to wake up her parents!" she whispered.

Sonic looked at Nilla, who was about to fall asleep again, and sighed."Fine, but still, if this doesn't come out, then your parents aren't gonna be the only ones mad at you!" he whispered back. Lily nodded her head, and she walked herself and Nilla to the door."Okay..just, be quiet, alright?" On that note, she shut the door and left Sonic alone in the garage. He looked around, and decided to explore his surroundings."If this is gonna be my home for a while, I might as well take a look around! I'm sure they won't mind!"

Sonic walked around the garage, and played with little knick-knacks he found lying around. As he searched through some old boxes, he found an old note book. Out of curiosity, he opened it, and read an entry.

_Wow, talk about hilarious! I've probably never been so glad one of my inventions messed up!_

_I finally built that little appearance changing machine I designed, and I used Sonic as my lab rat! BEST.._

_IDEA..EVER.. Not only did I find a flaw in my machine, but I had a good laugh at Sonic! Oh man, his reaction_

_ Was PRICELESS! I think I'm gonna mess up my machine's more often! - M.T.P_

Sonic tried to read the rest, but it was just an alternate design of a machine."Huh? Why is the author talking about me? This was written thirty years ago..." Sonic flipped through some more pages, and he read all of the random entries and personal notes that were scattered throughout the journal in between different designs and idea's of machines. He finished the journal, and kept it under his pillow."There's something fishy going on with this place..Oh well, I'll just ask Lily tomorrow!" He said as he fell asleep.

A little spider like robot watched the hedgehog fall asleep in the garage, and crawled out of a crack in the wall. It crawled away from the house, and into the hands of a dark figure."What did you see?" the figure said, it's voice sounded deep, and almost robotic. The spider robot beeped and rearranged itself into a video player. The figure watched the recording of Lily, Nilla, and Sonic, talking in the garage. They laughed.

_"Well..well..well, it seems like our little hedgehog has returned..."_


	4. Chapter 4

Lily woke up the next morning in her uncle's living room. Her eyes fluttered open, and smelled something cooking. She yawned and rubbed her eyes."Hmm, I wonder what that is?" she said to herself. She stretched her arms and lazily walked to the kitchen. Her stomach growled when she smelled the air, the scent was even stronger."Mmm...bacon.." she walked over, and sat down at the table, next to Nilla, who was already almost done with her breakfast."Yup! Your favorite!" her aunt said as she handed Lily a plate of food. Lily was about to dig in, when she saw the garage door and remembered Sonic. She hid the plate under her seat. When her aunt came back around after giving all of her seven children breakfast, she noticed that Lily didn't have any food on her plate."Lily? I thought I just gave you a whole plate!" she said in confusion.

"Oh, well..I guess you missed me! Hehe!" Lily said casually. Her aunt smiled."Well you're lucky that I made some extra!" she said warmly, and handed Lily another plate of food.

After they finished breakfast, Nilla and Lily went into the garage to check on Sonic. They walked in to see Sonic dead asleep on the mattress. They both laughed when they heard him snore rather loudly."Hey, watch this!" Lily whispered. She grabbed a piece of bacon and waved it in front of Sonic's nose. Sonic inhaled and took the scent of the delicious bacon. He crinkled his nose, and jerked awake."What is that amazing smell?!" he exclaimed. Lily poked Nilla on the side with her elbow, and laughed."Works every time!"

Sonic rubbed his eyes, and saw the two girls standing next to him."Oh, hi girls!" he yawned."Good morning, sleep well?" Nilla asked politely. Sonic was about to say something when he spotted the plate of food in Nilla's hand. Lily noticed that he was staring at it, and gave it to him."Here.." Sonic's eyes gleamed, and he happily took it. Nilla and Lily watched as Sonic took a bite of his breakfast. He froze."Um..Sonic? Are you okay?"

"..."

"..."

"...This...is...amazing..."

As he scarfed down everything in mere seconds, Nilla walked over to the time machine. She ducked under the tarp, and looked at the damage."Hmm...This is gonna take more then one person to fix this, Lily..at least, if we're gonna get Sonic back home as soon as possible..Maybe if I tell my da-" Lily put a hand over her friend's mouth."NO! We CANNOT let anyone know about this! Even your dad! Don't you know that if ANYONE tells my mom about this, she'll bury me alive, and dance on my grave! And I'M NOT EXAGGERATING!" she yelled. Nilla gave her a sarcastic look."..Really?" Lily looked down and shook her head."Okay, maybe I was exaggerating a little bit, but that doesn't mean that she's NOT gonna ground me until the end of time!"

"Hey guys?"

Lily and Nilla looked at Sonic, who was licking his fingers."Who are your parents, anyways?" he asked. The two girls froze, and they didn't know how to respond."Um..well.."

"And what's this?" Sonic said as he pulled out the journal he found last night from under his pillow. Nilla's face went to horror."Where did you get that?"

"Found it! How come the author was talking about me? Oh yeah, and why can't you guys can't let me outta here? It's not like anyone you're related to knows me right?"

"Um...uh...I.."

Sonic sat on an empty table, and stared at the girls, waiting for an answer. They gave each other an awkward stare, and Nilla walked up to Sonic, and took the journal."This is..um..my dad's journal!" she said. Sonic smiled."Oh..what's his name? I know that it starts with an M.." Nilla gulped."You..you do..?"

"Yeah, I've read all the entries! They all end with M.T.P..Is that your dad's initials?"

Lily knew that Nilla wasn't that great under pressure, and that she was a goody-two-shoes, she was gonna explode any second now. Before Nilla could say anything, Lily covered her mouth and pulled her aside."I know you might have lot's of questions, but some of them are gonna have to remain unanswered!" she said nervously.

Sonic tilted his head in confusion."Why?"

"Because!" Lily said sharply. Sonic took that as a sign to keep his mouth shut, and looked around. Nilla started working on the time machine again, and by "working on", she's just staring blankly into the mess of metal and glass, trying to figure out the blueprint. Minutes passed by, and Sonic's patience has timed out. He sat against the wall, and looked around to find something to entertain himself with. But, there was nothing but old robot parts and random sketches of inventions that were later tossed aside. He sighed, and noticed that the garage door was cracked open. He knew this was his chance to escape. He looked over to the girls, who were too focused on the time machine to pay any attention to him. Quietly, he tiptoed out of the garage, and into the house. Lily turned around to give Sonic an update on the time machine, when she noticed that he was missing.

"Hey Sonic, the...Sonic?"

She looked around the garage to see if he was playing tricks on her...and then she saw the door to the house wide open. Her face grew to horror, and she froze." ? He's gone.." Nilla popped her head out from under the tarp, and her face was white."WHAT?! LILY! I TOLD YOU TO WATCH HIM!"

"I was watching him...kinda.."

"ARGH, LILY! WHAT IF MY PARENT'S SEE HIM?!"

"It's okay! I've got this under control..I-I'll-"

"YOU BETTER FIND HIM!"

"I WILL!"

Lily rushed out the door in a panic."Sonic?" she called.

Sonic walked through the kitchen and into the living room. He stared in awe because of just the size of it."Whoa..." He explored everything. The hallways, the kitchen, some of the bed rooms..he even saw a room with seven little kids watching a t.v marathon of some show that he didn't recognize. He smiled, and continued his tour. As he walked through the hallway, he heard a noise from behind him. It was footsteps. He quickly jumped behind a door and hid. He couldn't see much, but he could tell that whoever it was, had yellow fur."That's probably Nilla's dad!" he whispered to himself. He poked his head out to see if the coast was clear. Doing so, he heard a drilling noise coming from a room at the end of the hallway. Quietly, he made his way to the door. He looked through the keyhole, but he wasn't able to see much. So, he slowly cracked the door open to look inside. He poked his head through the crack, and his mouth dropped when he saw an enormous lab. It had a roof made of glass, and plenty of machines and inventions that were running. He looked around, and saw a figure leaning over a machine, but, their face and body was hidden from a mask and a lab coat. He was gonna step inside, when he felt a hard tug on his arm."Whoa!" The figure's ear's twitched, and he jerked his head up to see what made that noise."Huh?"

Sonic was pulled outside, and when he looked up, he was face to face with Lily. He had an anime sweat drop."Um..hi.." he said. Lily glared at him."Are you crazy?! Why did you do that?! You could have been caught!" she whispered in an angry tone. Sonic, however, forgot that someone was behind the door."I'm sorry! I just got really bored, and I saw the garage door was open, and I just wanted to take a look around! That's all!"

"Take a look around?! You can't take a look around! Haven't you heard anything Nilla and I said?! If our parents find out, WE'RE DEAD!" she yelled. Suddenly, they heard footsteps from inside the room, and Lily pushed Sonic behind a plant before the door swung open."Hey! Why are you yelling? What's going on out here?!" they said. Lily put her hands behind her back, and wore a cheesy smile."Um..Nothing! I was just talking tooooooooo..." Lily looked around and saw a vase that Sonic kicked out. She picked it up, and stared at it."Uh...this vase! Hehe.." Her uncle looked confused, but then he shrugged it off."Okay then...um, just don't yell anymore.."

"Will do!"

"Oh, um..where are you and Nilla? I haven't seen you two all day."

"We were playing in the garage!"

"Oh..okay..just be careful, alright? And don't touch the time machine.."

"Gotcha!"

As her uncle shut the door, Sonic poked his head out to see him, but he was too late."Aw man! I missed him!"

Lily and Sonic carefully made their way back to the garage. Nilla poked her head from the time machine, and sighed with relief when she saw Sonic."Oh thank chaos! Did anyone see you?" she said. Lily shook her head."No, but we ran into your dad.." Nilla gasped."Did he see Sonic?!" she said nervously. Sonic crossed his arms."...No..and I didn't see him either.." he pouted. Lily rolled her eyes and dragged Sonic by the ear to the table."Ow! EAR! EAR! EAR! EAR!" he cried. Lily ignored him and made him sit on the table."STAY!" she said. Sonic groaned, and rubbed his ear."Fine..but I don't understand, how come I can't know anything about your family members? And why can't they know about me?" Nilla sighed, and walked up to Sonic."Well..we can't risk it, if we tell you something that you're not supposed to know yet, then that could drastically change our present..and vise versa! At least, that's what they say in the movies..my father hasn't studied the basic effects of time travel.." she said as she slowly drifted into a different topic. Lily noticed that Sonic was getting weirded out by all of the really long scientific words that were coming out of Nilla's mouth, and she stopped her before she could go over the effects time travel on the planet's rotation."Um, I think you can stop now, Nilla..you're scaring the poor thing.." she said as she pointed at Sonic, who was sort of cowering in an adorable looking way, giving Nilla a nervous look.

"Oh..sorry!"

The three laughed, and Nilla sat next to Sonic. He looked at her, and smiled."Ya know, you remind me a lot of someone." Nilla jolted a little, and looked at Sonic."Really?" she smiled. Sonic nodded his head."Uh huh! He's my best buddy!" Nilla giggled."Best buddy huh? I haven't heard THAT one before.." she said not thinking. Sonic looked confused."Huh?" Suddenly, Lily popped up in between them."Hey guys! Check this out!" she said as she stood in front of them. She was holding a box full of old dresses."Look at all of these old dresses I found!" Nilla smiled."Oh, those were my moms!" she giggled. Sonic watched as the two girls dug through the box, and chuckled at their cuteness.

"Wow! Look at this one!"

"That's nothing! Check this out!"

"*gasp* WHAT IS THIS?!"

Lily pulled out a bright orange dress with a huge poofy skirt and hundreds of ribbons. She pulled it over her dress and started to speak in a proper manner.  
"OH HELLO THERE! ISN'T MY DRESS JUST RAVISHING?" Nilla and Sonic laughed as she strutted around the garage.

"OOH LA LAA~"

Lily turned around and knocked over an old robot part."OOPS! IT SEEMS THAT MY REAR END HAS KNOCKED OVER THIS OBJECT!" Sonic and Nilla started bursting with laughter, and started to play along. Soon enough, they ended up doing their own version of Romeo and Juliet, with Sonic as Romeo, Lily as the beautiful Juliet, and Nilla as the wise narrator. The girls forgot about the machine, and were happy to be able to play with Sonic.

"OH ROMEO, MY DEAR ROMEO, WHERE CAN MY DARLING ROMEO BE?"

"I AM HERE MY JULIET!"

Sonic appeared from behind some boxes, and he was using an old broom as a horse. The two girls laughed, and suddenly, the garage door swung open."What's going on in here?!" The three froze. Lily and Nilla's face grew to horror as they saw who it was.

"DAD!"

"UNCLE TAILS!"

Sonic's mouth dropped.


	5. Chapter 5

Tails had a stern look on his face, and gave Lily and Nilla an intimidating glare."Well? Explain yourselves!" he said firmly. Lily and Nilla were almost shaking with fear, until Nilla straightened herself out."Ahem, we were just..playing..daddy..We're sorry for the noise." she said while looking to the floor. Tails looked at Lily, who was still frozen in place."Lily, I thought I told you to not make a mess! You're lucky I'm not gonna tell your mother about thi-" he stopped mid sentence when he saw Sonic standing on the other side of the room.

"Who's that?!"

Lily remembered that Sonic was dyed purple, so she walked up to him and pulled him forward."This is..uh...Nicky! He's a kid from school!" she said. Tails looked at Nilla, who nodded her head."And what is he doing in my garage?" Lily gulped, and couldn't think of anything."We're working on a school project!" Nilla chimed in. Lily smiled, and was slightly touched that Nilla took her side."Y-yeah! A school project! Hehe~" she said. Tails squinted his eyes as he scanned Sonic. He looked confused."School project? But he looks like he's at least four years older than you guys.."

"He's just an early bloomer! Right, Nicky?"

Lily playfully nudged Sonic's arm with her elbow, but Sonic didn't say anything. He just kept his mouth open as he stared at Tails who was a lot taller than he was used to. Lily nervously laughed."Um...he's not really a talker..heh.." she said. Tails nodded his head, and walked up to Sonic."Nicky? You better not try anything funny with these girls, got it? It looks like you guys were playing a little game of dress up earlier..don't make me snap you in two..okay?" he said sternly. Sonic gulped, and looked Tails dead in the eyes."Don't worry, I promise I won't do anything, I really like them! They're my friends-" he stopped mid sentence when Tails gave him a death glare."Um..Sir! Heh!" he nervously smiled. Tails looked at the two girls as if he was waiting for an answer."Don't worry, Dad, he would never hurt us, he's really nice!"

"Yeah! He's cool, no worries!"

Tails stood up straight, and walked to the garage door."Okay, then..but, don't think I won't be keeping an eye on you, young man!" he said as he glanced at Sonic. Sonic nodded his head, and watched as Tails left, leaving the door cracked open. Once Tails left the room, Lily and Nilla stared at Sonic, as if waiting for a reaction. Sonic slowly moved his head towards them, and his open mouth formed a weak smile."T..Tails...is your...dad?" Nilla gulped, and cowered away as she slowly nodded her head."Uh...yes..?" she dragged out her last word, unsure of what he might say.

"...Tails is your dad..."

"..."

"..Tails..is your..._dad_..."

"Um.."

"TAILS IS YOUR DAD!"

Sonic stumbled backwards and sat on a chair. He put a hand on his head and his mind rattled with questions."This is so weird.." Nilla walked over to him and laid a hand on his shoulder."Yeah..I know.." Sonic stared at the floor for a few seconds to process what just happened. He looked at Nilla and Lily.

"So..you're his daughter.." he looked at Nilla. She nodded. Sonic smiled."Heh, now that I think about it, you two are definitely related.." he chuckled as he poked her glasses. Nilla fixed them, and crossed her arms."Hey! I hate it when you and Uncle Knux do that!" she said. Sonic slightly jolted, and looked confused."Wait..Knuckles is here too?" he asked with an optimistic voice. Lily and Nilla give each other a nervous stare."Uh..yeah, but-"

"REALLY?! I've GOT to see what he looks like! He's probably an old fart by now!"

"Well..you all are old farts to be honest.."

"..All?"

"Nilla!"

"Sorry!"

Sonic suddenly started to ask a ton of questions about everyone."Now, I'm not the kinda guy who likes to know about the future, but, since I'm here, I guess it wouldn't hurt to take a look around!" he said as he went to walk out of the garage. Lily grabbed his arm."Oh no you don't! We can't let ANYONE find out who you are! It's too risky!" she exclaimed. Sonic sighed."I don't get it..WHY is it so risky?! I mean, I've already met my past self before, and nothing happened! Besides, it's not like I'm gonna do anything wrong!" Lily sighed."I know, Sonic..but..It's just too much to explain, just trust me on this..please.." Sonic frowned, and stepped away from the door."Okay..if it's really that important, I'll-"

"Hey guys! Cream made some lunch, come on out!"

Tails opened the door to let them all through. Sonic glanced at the girls, who groaned."Fine.."

-

After a delicious lunch, Lily and Nilla let Sonic go with Tails in his lab after he offered him. As long as he was careful with his identity and wouldn't ask any questions about the future. When they made their way to the lab, Sonic stared in awe at the vastness of it."Wow.." Tails smiled as he saw Sonic completely speechless."Pretty cool, huh?" he said confidently. He them pulled out a broken machine, and set it on a table. Sonic watched as he started to fix it."Whatcha doin?" Sonic asked as he leaned over to see the table. Tails didn't look at him."Just fixing a broken wrist communicator.."

"Oh.."

Sonic left Tails to his work, and explored. He stared at the different machines and inventions that sort of formed a maze. Sonic got lost pretty quickly. He looked around, and he wasn't sure where to go."Uhh.." Suddenly, he was startled when Tails appeared behind him."Get lost? Hehe" he chuckled as he led Sonic out of the maze. They wet back to a clearer part of the lab, and Sonic sat on a chair. Tails went back to working."Heh, sorry I got lost..This place is just huge! Oh well, I guess you need a big place to store big ideas, right, _Tails_?" he said. Then, Tails' ear twitched, and he slowly rose up from his slouching position. He turned around, and stared at Sonic."..What did you just call me?" he asked. Sonic stared back, and gulped."..Um..I called you..Tails..sir.." he stuttered. Tails walked up to him, and looked him in the eye."Nicky..How do you know that name? Only friends and family know that name.."

"Uhhh.."

Tails was about to say something, when Cream poked her head into the main door."Hey! Um, can you watch the kids while Amy and I go grocery shopping?" she asked cutely. Sonic and Tails stared at her, and smiled."Uh..sure!" Tails said. Cream giggled, and waved goodbye to Sonic as she left. Tails turned back to say something to Sonic, when he didn't see him standing there."Nicky?! NICKY!" he yelled.

"Hey, what does this do?"

Tails swung around, and saw Sonic pulling a lever. His eyes grew to horror as it locked."NO NO NO WAI-" Out of nowhere, a siren went off and a huge amount of water fell from the roof, drenching the two. Tails made his way to the lever, and pushed back up, to make the water stop. He looked to the floor, and closed his eyes in frustration."That...was...the..fire alarm.." he said irritably. Lily and Nilla rushed to the lab after hearing the commotion."Hey, is everything alrigh-" Lily stopped mid sentence as she saw purple dye mixing with the water on the floor. The two girls gave each other a nervous glance, and had no idea what to do. Tails shook the water off of his head and glared at Sonic.

His expression quickly changed when he saw Sonic's fur. It was back to it's original shade of blue. He looked at Lily and Nilla, who were standing at the door. He slowly pointed towards him."Uhh.."

-

Tails paced back and forth around the garage, trying to make sense of all of this."So..you're telling me that this is Sonic from the past, and you broke the time machine that I SPECIFICALLY told you NOT to touch, and you were planning on fixing it and hiding him in MY garage before anybody could find out about it?!" he said, trying not to yell at the girls. Nilla and Lily glumly nodded their heads. Tails glared at the both of them."I'm very disappointed in you, Nilla..I thought you better than that! And YOU!" he pointed at Lily."You just WAIT until your MOTHER finds out about this!" Lily's eyes widened, and she got on her knees."Oh no! PLEASE don't tell her! I'll do anything! It was an accident! I can explain everything! You know how she is, Uncle Tails, please help us!" she pleaded. Tails crossed his arms and thought about it for a moment. He looked at Sonic, who was awkwardly sitting behind them. He sighed."Fine, I won't tell your mom..BUT, you're gonna have to get him out of my garage."

Nilla and Lily looked confused."But..what about Sonic? We can't just leave him on the streets!"

"I didn't say forever, just keep him out until eight..your mothers are gonna be here soon, and if you-know-who finds out about him, she's going to kill you Lily..literally, kill you.."

Lily nodded her head. Nilla thought or a moment."How are we gonna keep him out?" Lily put an arm on her cousin's shoulder."I'll take him around the city while you and Uncle Tails work on the time machine..got it?" The two foxes nodded their heads as Lily walked Sonic out of the garage doors. Just before they shut, Tails stopped Lily."Oh! And don't go into the fringe! Okay? But, I guess you already know that.."

"Yeah, okay..come on, Sonic...Let's go.."


	6. Chapter 6

Lily and Sonic explored the city. Sonic looked around in awe on how different it was. Different buildings, cars, streets, different..well, everything! He was confused by how little people were walking the streets."Hey, Lily? Where is everybody? It's kinda quiet for a big city.." he said as he looked around."Most people like to stay inside, it's safer.." Sonic was confused."..Safer? What do you mean?" Lily looked at him, and back to the floor."Nothing.." The two walked down the city streets, when Sonic noticed that they were headed towards a gloomy street.

"Um..where are we going?"

"To the Fringe!"

"The Fringe? But didn't Tails sa-"

"Oh come on, Sonic! I thought you were a guy that loved adventure! You're not scared, are ya?" Lily teased.

Sonic frowned, and crossed his arms."Me? Scared? PLEASE, I'm not scared of anything!" Lily grinned."Good. Now let's go have some fun!" She dragged Sonic down a dark alley, and they both climbed up an old building."So, what is the Fringe anyways?" Sonic asked.  
"It's an abandoned part of the outer city, it's pretty much all rubble now.." Lily replied. Sonic nodded his head."Oh..And why does Tails not want you to come here?" Lily groaned."It's not just Tails, it's everyone! They think it's too dangerous for me..And they don't like me going anywhere! It's like they're afraid of everything that's outside of their comprehension.." she ranted. Sonic frowned."That's kinda strange..Tails is never afraid of anything he doesn't understand, let alone anything that's adventurous..maybe it's for a reason?" he said."Well, whatever reason it is, I'll be able to protect myself, and I have you too! What's the worst that could happen?" Sonic and Lily hopped down from the building, and landed on a badly cracked road.

They looked at The Fringe, which was dark and gloomy. Everywhere you turned was either a demolished city or a pile of scrap metal."Wow..what happened here?" Sonic asked as he hopped over a hubcap. Lily looked around, and walked over to a broken street light."This was the place that most of the Uprising took place.." she said quietly. Sonic tilted his head."The Uprising? What's-"

"GET DOWN!"

Lily tackled Sonic to the ground and they both rolled into a ditch."Argh! What was that for-" Sonic was interrupted when Lily put her hand over his mouth."SHH! You'll attract it here!" she whispered. Sonic rolled his eyes, and the two peeked over the top of the ditch. They both saw a large robot scanning random piles of ruins. Lily squinted her eyes."What is that thing?" Sonic asked quietly. Lily had a distasteful look on her face."..Spot Bot..." she said irritably, as if the name was something that left a horrible taste in her mouth."They made up most of the army during the Uprising. If you're not careful, they'll scoop you up and take ya to be robotisized. Then you'll become one of em.."

"Speaking of, what was the Uprisi-"

"SHH! Will you keep it down?! Look, follow me, this isn't a good place to have a history class.."

Lily quietly led Sonic to a skyscraper, and they sat in a room that seemed to be an office before, but the glass windows were shattered and there were papers all over the place. Sonic sat on an old desk, and Lily was watching the broken clock on the wall."So..about the Uprising?" Sonic broke the silence."Hmm? Oh! Right..well...huh, where do I start?" Lily paced back and forth."Well..um..Oh yeah!"

"A long time ago..we'll say..ten-fifteen years? Everything was normal. It was just a regular ordinary day in the city. The sun was shining, birds singing, people laughing..normal everyday stuff..." Lily thought for a moment as Sonic stared at her, listening to every word.

"Then..one day...it all changed.." Lily looked at the horizon, the sky was cloudy and only a pinprick of light from the sun shone through.

"You see, Sonic..there was this company..E-Corp, that pretty much catered to everyone's needs. They made practically everything! Robots, cars, toothbrushes, food...you name it! They had the answers to everyone's problems! Heck, they made so much money that they ended up controlling the entire city! Heh..I guess you can say it was more of an E-Corp Empire.." she said. Sonic slightly smiled."Keep going! I wanna know what happened!" he said. Lily took a deep breath, and smiled."Well, at least you're listening to me for once.." she giggled. Sonic crossed his arms.

"Okay, okay..Anyways, eventually, E-Corp was in total control of everything. Nobody really cared much, though, even if it did seem like a faceless company..soon, the owner disappeared.."

"..."

"And one day...out of the blue, E-Corp attacked..."

There was a silence. Lily could see Sonic's stunned yet concerned expression out of the corner of her eye.

"E-Corp opened it's huge doors, and sent a whole army of robots to destroy the city, and everything in it. It was chaos. So many people were killed or taken prisoner by the Spot Bots, only to be turned into a robot their self..and this place-The Fringe-huh, the Fringe took the worst.."

Lily waited for Sonic to respond."..I don't understand. Why would a company who had everything, destroy it all?" Sonic asked. Lily shrugged."I don't know..but I always had the feeling that they were looking for something..or..._someone_..." Lily kept staring into the distance, not making eye contact with Sonic."...So, after the big attack, the robots just kept searching on a certain schedule for a certain part of the city, their main job is to roam the streets and pick off the weak and old to be robotisized..." she continued.

"...It soon became a 'survival of the fittest' type of way around here...Once you got too old, or you were really sick, you would have to either turn yourself in, or wait until they catch you.."

"...That's..horrible..."

"I know...but, that's just the way it is..that's why most of the survivors moved to the outskirts of the city..it's less dangerous. And you have a lesser chance of becoming one of E-Corp's brain dead minions.." Lily rolled her eyes.

"..But..if you want to escape, why can't you just leave the city?" Sonic asked.

"Don't you think people tried? We can't! No one can..E-Corp built a wall around the city..so there's no way to get out..unless you find a way past the hundreds of Spot Bots guarding the wall..besides, they found a way to brainwash younger people who weren't alive long enough to see the outside into thinking that it's incredibly dangerous..or that it doesn't even exist! They teach it in schools and everything!" Lily exclaimed. Sonic looked confused.

"But..if they were able to brainwash other people, how come they weren't able to brainwash you?"

Lily lowered her head, and sighed."Because...I know.."

"Huh?"

"I know that there is an outside world beyond the city! My dad would always tell me stories about his adventures with Tails and the rest of his friends! He told me to never stop moving, and always keep dreaming of new places. But, there is one thing that he told me, that I will never forget.." Lily said as she looked out into the distance.

"And what's that?"

Lily looked at Sonic, and smiled.

"..._Every adventure begins with taking the first step_..._after that, you keep running_.."

There was a silence. Sonic replayed those words in his head so he wouldn't forget them. Lily stared and Sonic for a second, and quickly looked out to the distance."So.." she said awkwardly. Sonic sat with her on a ledge, and watched the sunset. He glanced at Lily, and could see her eyes sparkle as the light hit them. He smiled."You know, you kinda look like a girl I know..um, not sure if you know her, but..her name's Amy.." he said. Lily looked at Sonic, and she rolled her eyes."..Yeah, I know her..." she rested her face on her hand and look out into the distance. Sonic was confused."What's wrong? Don't you like her?" he asked. Lily jolted."Oh, of course I like her! It's just..well..you wouldn't understand.."

"Hmm.."

Suddenly, the ground started to shake, and the next thing they know, a huge Spot Bot was flying only a few feet away from them, trying to shoot them."Spot Bot! Quick! RUN!" Lily grabbed Sonic and they dashed down the building as fast as possible. The Spot Bot was hot on their trail, though, and was quickly gaining speed. Sonic and Lily were chased all the way down unto a dead end, and they were trapped. They put their backs against a giant brick wall and watched as the robot closed in on them. Then, it stopped."BLUE HEDGEHOG DISCOVERED, PREPARE FOR ELIMINATION." the robot screeched. It lifted up it's giant arm and powered up it's laser gun. Sonic put his arm in front of Lily to protect her, and got ready to fight."Alright, let's see what you're made of!"

In a flash, Sonic and the robot were battling. Lily watched in horror and excitement as they kept getting back up after being knocked down. Then, the Spot Bot caught Sonic off guard, and knocked him to the ground with an almost deadly blow."SONIC!" Lily yelled as she tried to help him up. Sonic pushed her back, and stumbled to his feet."N..No..it's okay, I'm fine.." he said. He got ready to pounce one last time, when...BOOM!

Sonic and Lily watched in confusion as the robot fell into pieces, and kicked up some dirt as it fell to the ground. As the dirt and smoke cleared, a figure was standing in front of them. He huffed and straightened out his gloves. His eyes fell on Sonic, and his expression didn't change, he crossed his arms, and walked up to him.

"Well, well, well...look who decided to come back, _faker_..."

"SHADOW?!"

Shadow The Hedgehog stepped over the broken robot and marched right up to Sonic. He scanned Sonic and Lily with his bright red eyes."Hmm...you look a lot different than the last time I saw you.." he said. Sonic and Lily explained everything."I see, you seem to be in quite in a predicament, Lilian..you know, I would tell your..erm..'motherly figure' if I weren't busy at the moment.." Shadow said. Lily rolled her eyes."Ugh, Shadow, can't you just call her my mother?"

"No."

"Why not?"

"I've already explained to you why, I find no reason to.."

"Rrgh."

Sonic walked up to Shadow."Well, it seems like you didn't change at all.." he said. Shadow rolled his eyes."I know.." Shadow was still physically fifteen, even thirty years into the future. Shadow started to walk away, until Lily grabbed his arm."H-hey, wait! What are YOU doing out here?" she asked. Shadow wiggled his arm free, and crossed his arms."I should ask you the same question."

"I asked first!"

"Alright, fine..I was searching for a Chaos Emerald, now, if you'll excuse me, I'll be on my way.."

Shadow walked off, leaving Sonic and Lily alone. Sonic and Lily awkwardly stared at each other."Heh, still the same old Shadow I know and hate.." Sonic chuckled. Lily was about to say something, when she got a call from Nilla."Hello?" she said.

"Oh, Lily! There you are! You mom has been worried sick about you! Ya better come home before she has a heart attack!"

"Ugh, okay.."

Lily closed her pocket communicator, and looked at Sonic."Alright, let's go.." she was about to start running when Sonic scooped her up and carried her bridal style."Gah! What are you doing?!" she asked. Sonic grinned."What? I wanna get home as soon as possible to see your mom!" He dashed off back into the city, and towards Tails' house.


	7. Chapter 7

Sonic skidded to a halt in front of Tails' house. Lily whooped in excitement."Wow! That was GREAT! I haven't gone that fast in forever!" she giggled as she fixed her wild hair. Sonic grinned."How long has it been since you felt _real _speed, then?" Lily opened her mouth, then her expression changed into a serious one, she looked hurt and backed away."Um..TAILS would uh..fly me around in his jets sometimes..heh.."

"Oh."

Sonic was about to walk inside when Lily grabbed his arm."What are you doing?! My MOM'S in there! If she sees you, I'M SCREWED!" Lily exclaimed. Sonic rolled his eyes."Aw come on! Please? I'm sure she'll get over it!" Lily frowned."Yeah, MAYBE, but you probably won't.." she mumbled. Sonic twitched his ear."What was that?"

Suddenly, they heard footsteps coming from the other side of the door."Quick! Hide in the garage! I'll bring you dinner, okay?" Lily whispered as she shooed Sonic away. The door flung open to reveal Tails. He looked at Lily."Oh! There you are! Your mom is waiting for you in the living room. And where's _you know who_?" he said in a low voice."In the garage."

"Okay, come in before she has a heart attack.."

Sonic paced around in the garage in complete boredom. He heard different voices coming from inside, but he couldn't tell them apart. He plopped down next to the garage door and pressed his ear against it.

"Oh Lily, there you are! Don't just disappear out of nowhere like that! Ugh, I was worried sick about you!"

"I know..I'm sorry-"

"Are you alright? Where were you? What were you doing? Are you hurt?"

"Mom, I'm fine.."

"Don't worry, she's been with me."

Sonic kept listening to the conversation, until he lost interest. He walked around the garage to see if he could find something to entertain himself. He dug through some boxes, and found an old acoustic guitar."Well, I guess it wouldn't hurt to try it out.." he strummed it once, only to cringe when it made an ugly noise.

"Uh, I think I'd better tune it first..heh.."

Lily sat on the couch in boredom as the adults socialized. She was about to doze off when she realized that everyone went quiet."Is that..the guitar?" her mother asked. Nilla, Tails, and Lily, shared a nervous look."Uhhhh...noooo...?" As the silence continued, a melody was coming from the garage. Lily's mother looked suspicious."Um, I'm gonna check that out.." she ran to the garage. The other three ran after her."No! There's nothing in there!" Lily was holding back her anger as she tried to persuade her mom not to open the garage."That IDIOT!" she mumbled.

The three watched in horror as they saw the garage door wide open. They dashed inside to see Lily's mom looking confused."That's strange..I could have sworn someone was playing a guitar!" The other three were confused as well, but they pretended they weren't. Lily looked around and spotted Sonic hiding inside a large box. He placed a finger over his mouth and made a_ SHH _face. Lily glared at him._WHAT ARE YOU DOING?! _she mouthed. Her mother turned around and saw Lily looking the other direction.

"What are you looking at, Lily?" she asked.

Lily jolted and stood straight."N-Nothing!" she said as she nervously glanced back at Sonic. Her mother narrowed her eyes, and shrugged her shoulders."Oh well, come on, Lily, let's go home." she said as she grabbed Lily's hand."W-wait! Can't I stay the night? Please?" she begged. Her mother shook her head."Sorry, but you know we can't, besides, Tails is probably tired.." Tails grabbed Lily by the shoulders.

"Aw come on, I'm fine with her spending the night! I'll drop her off tomorrow! Kay?" he said with a wink.

Lily's mother crossed her arms and thought for a moment."Hmm..I dunno.." Lily clenched her hands together and fell to her knees."PLEASE?" she gave her mother puppy dog eyes. Lily's mom opened her mouth to say something when a laser shot out from behind the box Sonic was hiding in."What in the..?" Her mother walked over to the box."NO!" Nilla, Tails, and Lily exclaimed. But, it was too late, Lily's mother opened the box and found Sonic sitting inside with a tiny laser."So THAT'S how it works.." he mumbled. Sonic looked up and his mouth dropped when he saw the true identity of Lily's mother."Wha.." The woman stared with wide eyes, and stumbled backwards."S..Sonic? What's going on here?!" She started to breath faster and her eyes were wide. Sonic looked confused and shocked at the same time. Tails looked at Lily, and she sighed. He walked up to her mother, and helped her up."Come on, I'll explain everything.." he calmly led out into the kitchen, leaving the two girls and Sonic alone.

Sonic slowly turned is head to look at Lily. His eyes carefully examined her every feature, and he was completely dumbstruck.

"You're..you're mom is.."

"..."

"..She's..You're...The both of you.."

"..Sonic, I can explai-"

"_AMY_, IS YOUR MOM?!"

His eyes were wild, and he stumbled backwards. He regained his balance. Lily walked up to him, and put a hand on his shoulder."I know..Sonic..I know.." Sonic stared at Lily."...Amy..has a daughter..." The way he stated that sounded slightly disappointed, and shocked. He was about to say something when Amy and Tails walked inside. Amy cleared her throat, and she gave Lily a piercing glare.

"..Lilian..WHAT...WERE...YOU...THINKING...?!"

"I-"

"DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA HOW DANGEROUS THAT WAS?! WHY DID YOU THINK THE TIME MACHINE WAS A GOOD IDEA?! YOU WERE GONE FOR TWO DAYS! WHAT IF YOU GOT KILLED?! WHAT DO YOU HAVE TO EXPLAIN YOURSELF?!"

"But, mom, I just..I.."

Lily glanced at Sonic."...I wanted to try to fly the time machine...is all.." she lowered her head glumly. But, Sonic had a feeling that she wasn't entirely telling the truth. Amy shook her head."Oh, Lily..you know Tails told everybody not to touch it, and what do you do? You know, Lily..sometimes you need to learn how to listen!" Lily closed her eyes, and sighed."..I know.."

"Oh yeah, and where were you TODAY? You better not have gotten yourself into trouble!"

Lily jolted."We uh..we.." Sonic jumped in front of her."SHE was just showing me around! Heh..ya know, while the time machine was being fixed, but we weren't in trouble! We went to the Fringe and-"

"THE FRINGE?!"

"..Uh.."

Lily glared at Sonic. Amy crossed her arms."The Fringe!? How many times do I have to tell you NOT to go there?!" Lily shrugged her shoulders."..Nothing..happened.."

"BUT what if something DID happen?! You could have-"

"Gotten lost or kidnapped or even killed, I know, I know..Just let me explain!"

Amy sighed, and crossed her arms, and looked at Lily."You better give me a good reason not to ground you until you die.." Lily opened her mouth to say something, but quickly shut it. Sonic felt something tug at his heart, and he stepped forward."..It's..my fault.." he said. Lily looked up and her eyes gleamed. Sonic glanced at her and winked. Amy stared at Sonic. He looked straight into her eyes. They weren't the beautiful, vibrant, jade green they used to be. He also didn't notice the twinkle they would always have. Their color faded into a dull green, like the life was washed out of them."..You see, Lily found me and I insisted on coming here, then, as we were about to go back, I accidentally crashed it.." Sonic said.

"...I also insisted on going to the Fringe too."

Lily, Nilla, and Tails couldn't believe that Sonic was taking the blame for all of this. Amy crossed her arms, and thought for a moment."..Well..okay, then. You're not grounded, Lily..for now.."

"Yes!"

"BUT, you better get rid of him..soon.."

Amy glanced at Sonic, and left. Sonic frowned and tilted his head as he watched her leave. Tails cleared his throat."Ahem, I think it's time we all eat dinner and go to bed.." he said awkwardly. The two girls followed Tails. Nilla paused at the door."Hey, Sonic! You coming?" Sonic snapped out of his trance."Huh? Oh, yeah. I'll be there in a sec." Sonic sat down and thought for a moment.

"That's strange..She's so.._different_..."

Although he wouldn't admit it, Sonic was slightly disappointed that Amy didn't react how she used to. He wondered. _Why? _Why was she acting so different? Sonic can already tell that Amy wasn't who she used to be, and he wasn't sure how he felt about it. He heard Tails calling him, and he put everything in the back of his mind. With everything he learned today, about the city's recent history, Amy was the last thing he needed to worry about.

"She probably just grew up.." he said to himself, and he walked out of the garage.

-

"Hmm..it seems like I was wrong..but this..this is so much better.."

A woman was sitting in front of a giant computer screen, replaying footage of Sonic and Lily talking to Shadow in the Fringe."Interesting..very interesting..haha! I'm surprised that those little rats haven't figured out about the cameras!" she laughed. She zoomed in on Sonic.

"Sonic..from the past, hmm? Hehe..this is going to make my job MUCH easier! HAHAHAA!"

She leaned back on her chair and swiveled around in laughter. A small robot flew through an open door from behind the crazy lady. It flew up to her, and beeped to get her attention. The woman stopped laughing, and looked at her robot companion with a wide smile."Why hello, what do you want?" she said sweetly. The robot's red light's for eyes made a cheerful look, and it spun around in the air as it morphed into a tracking device. The woman grabbed it, and looked onto the screen. A sinister grin spread across her face."Good work, ELI, very good work..Well, what are we waiting for?" she tossed the device in the air and it turned back into a robot.

She rolled her chair over to the wall of her dark lab, and pressed a button on the wall."SID!" she yelled. Suddenly, a tall robot skidded to a halt in her lab, and spoke in a automated British accent."SID, at your service! How may I assist you?" it said with a bow. The woman spun around with a devilish smirk on her face."I want you to send a Seeker out after this!" she pointed at the screen as ELI morphed back into a tracking device. SID leaned in, and nodded it's head."Will do, Madam, will do!" it stood straight."Wonderful!" the woman said as SID sped off. She spun around and rolled up to her computer screen, crazily grinning at the image of young Sonic.

"Wonderful..._indeed_.."

-

It's been two days, and Sonic spent most of his time exploring the house and talking to everyone.(Except Amy, who seemed to ignore him and pretend he wasn't even there for some reason).Sonic was sitting in Tails' lab watching his friend work on the time machine. He was throwing a ball in the air and letting it bounce off a wall before returning into his palms."So," Sonic began."How long is this time machine gonna take?" he asked. Tails didn't look up."Well, since it did take quite a _bit_ of damage," Sonic shifted guiltily."..I'd say it'll take until around the end of the week, if we're lucky.." Sonic was about to say something, when he saw a picture of himself and the rest of his friends when they were younger. He frowned."Hey Tails, if there's a future you, Cream, and Amy..then there has to be a future me, right?" he asked

Tails jumped up, and hit his head on the time machine's door."Ouch!" He turned around and stared at Sonic."What?" Sonic looked confused."Um..isn't there a future me?" he asked again. Tails was silent at first, and then he cleared his throat."Ahem..of course there is!" he said. Sonic smiled."Really? Where am I?" Tails frowned, and looked away."Well, you see..Sonic..um...he uh..He went on a mission with Knuckles on Angel Island, and he won't be back until the end of the week..and by then, you'll be in your time..so.." Tails scratched the back of his head. Sonic looked disappointed."Oh.."

Tails stood up and slapped his hands together."Yeah..sorry buddy.." He stretched his arms out and pulled off his goggles."Hey, are you hungry? I am, let's eat!" he said nervously, like he wanted to change the subject. As the two walked out, they were interrupted by a sudden beeping. Tails froze, and turned around.

"Can..can it be?"

Suddenly, he dashed towards his main desk, and turned on his computer. Sonic followed, confused."What's wrong?" Tails started pressing different keys, and pulled up a bird's eye view of the city. He zoomed in on the Fringe, and his eyes went wide."Oh..my..AMY! CREAAMM! WE FOUND ONE! WE FOUND ONE!" He jumped in the air and squeezed Sonic."WE FOUND IT SONIC! HAHAA WHOOO!" Amy, Cream, and the two girls came rushing inside."What happened?!"

Tails excitedly pointed at the screen. The girls shared glances, and they all crowded around it. Amy covered her mouth."You..you found one..? But, how? I thought they were all gone!" Sonic awkwardly stood by them."Uh..what's going on?"

"We found an emerald! WHOO!"

Tails started making plans."Okay, we need to send someone out there as soon as possible, and we'd better do it quick! So.."

"I can go!"

Sonic stepped forward. Tails looked at him."Uh..I don't know, it's pretty dangerous out there..the last thing we need is for you to get killed.." Sonic crossed his arms."Aw come on! If I'm gonna be here for a week, I might as well have SOME action! If you want, I could use some help!" Lily's ears perked up, and she saw Sonic glance at her through the corner of his eye."I can go with him!" she said as she raised her hand. Sonic looked at Lily, and grinned."Yeah, Lily can come!" Amy frowned."Oh no you don't! You better not even THINK you're taking my daughter back there!" Lily groaned.

"But mom-"

"I said no!"

Lily crossed her arms, and pouted."Hmph, I never get to have any fun.." Sonic looked at Lily, and frowned."Aw come on, Ames! Lighten up a bit, she'll be fine! Besides, I'm gonna be with her!" he said while pointing to himself. Amy squinted her eyes and stared at Sonic."Exactly, you're another reason that I WILL NOT let her leave." Sonic looked shocked. He put his hands on his hips.

"Hey! What's that supposed to mean?!"

Amy crossed her arms."It means I don't trust you. Lily's not going, AND THAT'S IT!" Amy turned to walk away. Sonic became irritated.

"What happened to you. Amy?! Ever since I've been here, you've either been ignoring me, or just plain mean! What did I ever do to you!?"

Amy stopped in her tracks, and turned her head."She's not going.." She said. Quietly, she walked out of the lab. Cream clapped her hand."So..who want's cookies?" The three girls awkwardly left the room. Sonic crossed his arms."Geez..what's her problem?" he asked. Tails put a hand on Sonic's shoulder."She's been like that for a while.." Sonic looked up at Tails.

"But..why?"

Tails thought for a moment, and looked out the window. Sonic sat down.

"Well..Amy used to be happy all of the time, she was her normal, bubbly self! Until.."

"Until..what?"

Tails closed his eyes, and took a deep breath.

_"...Until he left.."_


	8. Chapter 8

"Three years?!"

Sonic's eyes were wide and full of confusion."I can't believe she's been like that for so long.." he said quietly. Tails sighed."Yeah..I know.."

"So..how did this all start? Why did _he _leave? Well, whoever he is.."

Tails sat next to him."Well, firstly, he was Amy's boyfriend, I guess you can say.." he said awkwardly."Ohhh"

"Anyways, he was a good man.. Everything was more fun when he was around! I don't think I remember a time that he wasn't doing something crazy.." Tails thought for a moment.

"He and the rest of us were pretty close, we did everything together.."

Sonic looked at the floor and nodded his head."He..seems like a pretty cool guy.." he looked up, with a concerned look on his face."..Was Amy happy with him?"

"Oh yes, they loved each other. Heck, I've never seen anybody else who were so perfect together..."

Tails suddenly changed his warm expression into a serious one."And then..one day...he left.." There was a silence."Why?" Sonic asked. Tails opened his mouth to say something, but quickly shut it."..You know, none of us are really sure.."

"Huh?"

"Yeah..weird, isn't it? I mean, he's left before, but not without telling anyone..everyone thought it was a joke, but after a few weeks, that's when it got serious.."

"..I don't understand, why would someone just leave everything like that? Didn't he think about you guys? About Amy?"

"I wish I could tell you, Sonic.."

Sonic frowned, and thought hard. He rested his face on his hands, and looked at Tails."..Why do you think he left..?"

Tails became very quiet. He stared intently towards the ground. His expression was stern, and he seemed to be think long hard about his answer. He took a deep breath, and walked towards the window and stared outside.

"..You know what I think? I think that he was probably stressed.."

"..Stressed?"

"Yeah, I mean..it is a bit of a stretch, there wasn't any tension between him and anyone else..but, I feel like when the Uprising started to get worse, he just couldn't take it anymore.."

"..."

"Honestly, I can't believe he would do something as stupid as leaving out of the blue when his own friends and family needed him most, but, then again, I can't blame him for leaving, either..not only was the Uprising at it's worst, but the Spot-Bots seemed to be directly targeting us..I guess he felt like it was his fault, I mean, ever since Eggman-"

Tails suddenly stopped talking, and cleared his throat."Ahem, well..I think I've said a little much, how about you go and..I don't know, play outside or something?" he said, trying to change the subject. Sonic tilted his head in confusion, and left the room. He figured by the tone of Tails' voice, he didn't want to talk about it anymore.

Later on, Sonic spotted Lily sneaking around in the backyard. He grinned, and walked over to her. Lily was about to jump the fence."What exactly do you think you're doing?" Lily froze in an awkward position. With one leg almost above her head, and her arms reaching high above her head to grab the fence. She closed her eyes tightly."Um..I can explain!" Sonic laughed."Don't worry, it's just me." Lily let out a sigh of relief."Oh, it's you..phew! Hehe~" Sonic shook his head."So, what were you possibly trying to accomplish by jumping the fence?" he asked, curious.

Lily pursed her lips, and put her hands behind her back."Weeeelll...I may or may not have tried to go after the emerald..hehe.." she said. Sonic raised an eyebrow."Oh, really? I don't think that's such a good idea..you can't even jump the fence without getting caught.." he said sarcastically as he turned to walk away. Lily crossed her arms."What? You think I can't take care of myself!? I'd like to see YOU do better!" Sonic stopped in his tracks, and slowly turned around. He had a devilish smirk on his face.

"Oh, okay~"

In a flash, he dashed towards Lily, and leaped right over the fence. Lily watched in amazement and jealousy. Sonic climbed back up and sat on the top of the fence."So, anything else you want me to show you? Hehe~" he chuckled. Lily jumped up."Ohhhh! Can you teach me how to do that? PLEAAASSSEE?!" She clasped her hands together and dramatically fell to her knees. Sonic watched her plead to learn his ways, and he smiled.

"Alright, alright! I'll teach you a move or two!"

Sonic hopped down from the fence, and stood next to Lily."Okay, so if you're gonna pull something like that off, you need to get a running start, okay?" Lily squinted her eyes in anticipation."Okay!"

"Next, when you're close enough, you have to jump as high as you can, and curl up got it?"

"Got it!"

"Oh yeah, and last thing, when you land, be sure to land on your heels and sort of roll, that way, you won't..you know, break your legs.." He said, pulling out a table from the patio."Alright, let's start with this, you think you can manage?" he asked in a sort of challenging tone. Lily thought for a moment, and nervously nodded her head."I..I think so.." she said in a shaky voice. Sonic grinned and patted her shoulder."Aw don't be nervous, it's easy! Okay, do what I do!" Sonic took a step back, and ran towards the table. Just when he reached about a yard away, he jumped and used his arm to give him an extra push upwards to clear it. He landed on his feet, and sort of ran a little before coming to a stop. He turned around and smiled at Lily."You see? Easy!"

"O..Okay.."

Lily gulped, and tried to mimic Sonic's movements. She started off good, but once she got to the landing, she choked."Whoaahaahahh!" she tripped over her self when her feet hit the ground, and Sonic caught her just in time."Phew, that was close! Heh.." Lily stood straight, and looked back at the table in embarrassment."I can't do it.." she said as she walked over to the porch and plopped down. Sonic frowned, and walked over to sit next to her. He put a hand on her shoulder and gently shook her a bit."Hey, it's okay. Nobody gets it on the first try, you just need to practice, that's all!" He smiled. Lily looked up at him, and smiled in return.

"Do you really think I can do it?"

"Course I do! You know, Lily, you can do anything you set your mind to! Heck, I wouldn't be surprised if you were able to get that emerald yourself!"

Lily's eyes lit up, and she twiddled her thumbs. She looked at the fence, and started giggling. Sonic grinned."What's so funny?" Lily looked back at him."You must have looked like an idiot when you tried jumping something for the first time, didn't you?" she laughed. Sonic chuckled. He looked out into the distance, and rubbed his nose.

"What, me? An idiot? Please, I'm a fast learner~"

Then, the backdoor directly behind them opened, and Cream walked out."What are you guys up to?" she asked with a warm smile on her face. Sonic stretched and walked inside before yawning."Nothing, just teaching Lily how to jump a fence.." Cream was a little confused, but she shrugged it off. She was about to walk inside, when she stopped."Hey, are you coming inside, Lily?" she asked. Lily looked at Cream, and back at the fence."Hmm, nah, I think I'll stay out here.." Cream sighed and went back inside.

It was only a few hours later, and Sonic was helping Amy tidy up her living room after he decided to go to her house to spend the night. Well, by helping, he was raiding the fridge and watching Amy do all the work. Amy straightened out a pillow, and sighed."Uh..you can sleep here, I guess.." she said. Sonic plopped down on her couch and slid his shoes off. He put his hands behind his head and sighed."Ah, this couch is amazing.." he said. Amy picked up his shoes and put them away."Yeah, I know..everybody loves that thing.." She left the room and went into her own for a minute.

Sonic yawned, and looked around her house. He noticed a picture of photo album lying in the corner. Of course it sparked his interest, and he quietly snuck over and grabbed it."Alright, let's see if we can find this.._he.._Tails was talking about.." he said. Sonic opened it to the first page, titled : _Memories. _He flipped through the pages, and saw a ton of pictures of everyone when they were younger. Some were from around his time too. He smiled warmly as he flipped through the book. Finally, he stopped at a page that was covered in hearts and kiss marks."This has to be it!" He was about to flip the page and reveal _He's _identity, when..

"What are you doing?!"

Sonic slammed the book shut, and threw it into the corner. He slowly turned around, and saw Amy with a toothbrush in her mouth and wearing a tank top with matching pajama pants. Amy crossed her arms, and glared at Sonic."Didn't I tell you NOT to touch anything?!" Sonic sighed."I was just looking at the scrap book..okay? Geez.." he plopped down on her couch and lied on his side. Amy's stern face softened, and she sat next to him."I'm sorry, Sonic..I know that I haven't been very nice to you, but I just have a lot of things going on right now, you wouldn't understand.." she said. Sonic turned over to look at her, and frowned.

"Is it..about.._him_..?"

Amy jolted, and shot a piercing look at Sonic."What are you talking about?!" she said a little too sharply. Sonic cowered slightly, and bent his ears back."Well, Tails said that your..erm..boyfriend left a few years ago a-and that's why you were acting so-"

"I don't want to talk about it.."

Amy got up and walked away to her room. Sonic bit his lip, and quickly regretted saying anything. He walked up to her bedroom, and lifted his hand to knock.

Amy was sitting on the edge of her bed, taking deep breaths and blinking away tears."It's okay Amy..keep it together.." She was interrupted by a light knocking on her door."C-come in." she said. Sonic slowly poked his head inside, and walked over to her."Amy, I'm so sorry..I didn't mean to make you upse-"

"It's okay, Sonic..you don't have to apologize..it's just..I haven't talked about him in years and..I don't know if I can handle it.."

".."

Sonic sat next to Amy, and looked at the floor."You know..I think he left for a reason.." he said. Amy looked at him."..Really?"

"Yeah, I mean..from what I've heard, he doesn't sound like the type of guy who would just abandon his family to save himself..no, I think he had to have had a good reason.." Sonic looked up at Amy, and smiled."Besides, any man would need a good reason to leave someone like you.." Amy slightly smiled back, and her eyes started tearing up. She sniffled and looked away. Sonic frowned."Oh no, please don't cry! I'm sorry! Did I say something?!" Amy suddenly wrapped her arms around him, and hugged him tightly. Sonic was taken by surprise at first, but soon gave in and hugged her back. Amy let go of him and wiped her tears."..It's not you..heh..I'm just an emotional old lady.." she laughed. Sonic chuckled."Well, I can't disagree with you on that!"

"Hey!"

"Just kidding!"

The two just smiled and stared at each other for a moment, until Sonic broke their gaze."Um..Amy?" he asked, looking away. Amy smiled warmly."Yes?" Sonic took a deep breath, and he had a very serious look on his face.

"If you're so upset about what happened with him, then..why are you mad at me?"

Amy frowned, and looked away."I.." she sighed."..Sonic, I'm not mad at you.." Sonic felt his heart leap."You're not?"

"No..I'm just.."Amy paused for a moment, choosing her word carefully.

"..I'm _scared_ of you.."

"Huh?"

Amy opened her mouth to say something, then she quickly shut it."You know what, Sonic? It's getting late, we'd better go to sleep.." she got up and gently pushed Sonic out of her room. Sonic was about to object when Amy planted a kiss on his cheek."Goodnight, Sonic.." With that, she shut the door. Sonic stood there in silence. He wiped his cheek, and gave an annoyed look towards the door. He stomped over to the couch, and plopped down.

"..Scared? Why would she be scared of me? Pfft, that girl has gone crazy.."

He stared at the roof for a moment, and was finally about to go to sleep when...

_BANG! BANG! BANG!_

Sonic jerked up, and nearly jumped out of his skin. Soon after, Amy came speeding down the hall, looking very angry and frightened."WHAT HAPPENED?!" She shot a piercing glare at Sonic, who threw is arms in the air. The two jumped again when they heard the loud knocking again, this time with a voice."OPEN UP! IT'S ME!" Amy pulled out her hammer, and opened the front door to reveal Nilla and Tails panting and soaking wet. Amy gasped."Tails?! Nilla?! What are you guys doing here?! Come in!" The two foxes ran inside from the rain, and sat in the kitchen. Amy gave them both towels and Sonic walked up to all of them.

"What's going on?!" he asked.

"IT'SLILY!ONEMINUTSHEWASHERE,THENEXTSHWASGONE!" The tow foxes started talking really fast.

"YEAH,SHESAIDSOMETHINGABOUTTAKINCAREOFHERSELF,ANDTHENEXTTHINGWEKNEW,SHEWASGONE!"

"UHHUH!SOWETRACKEDHERDOWN,ANDITHINKSHEWAS-"

"Woah woah woah! Slow down! Just tell us what happened!" Sonic said.

"LILY'S MISSING!" Tails spat out.

"AND SHE'S HEADED FOR THE EMERALD!" the two foxes yelled in unison.

The two hedgehogs shared a shocked glance."SHE WHAT?!" Amy yelled. Tails shook his head to get the rain off."Y-YEAH! I THINK SHE JUMPED THE FENCE IN THE BACK!" he exclaimed. Sonic suddenly felt like a huge stone dropped into the pit of his stomach, and his face became white."She..jumped the fence..?" he mumbled. The other three looked at him."Sonic, are you okay? You look sick.." Nilla said. Sonic blinked a few times, and shook his head."Uh, YEAH! I'm fine!" Amy started pacing back and forth across the kitchen.

"UGH! How in the world was she able to jump that high?!"

The three talked back and forth as Sonic guiltily stood there. Everyone was talking so loud and fast that he couldn't take it anymore."I'LL GO GET HER, OKAY?!" he yelled. Tails, Amy, and Nilla stared at him."But, Sonic..you could get killed-"

"Which is a better reason for me to get her as soon as possible.."

Amy bent down, and put her hands on his shoulders."Sonic, I'm going with you.."

"Me too!" Tails said.

"Me three!"

"Oh no you don't! You're staying here young lady!" Amy said. Nilla sighed."Fine.." Amy ran to her room for a moment while Nilla set up a suitcase like device that had a map."Alright, this is a map of the whole city, so I'll be able to track you guys." She said, handing out wrist communicators."Here, keep these, you'll need them." Tails and Sonic shared a glance. Tails walked up to her, and examined the machine."Did..did you make this?" he asked. Nilla put her hands behind her back, and shyly nodded her head."Uh..yeah?" she said. Tails had a big grin on his face and nudged Nilla's shoulder."Nice work, you'll be as great as me if you keep that up!"

Amy came back wearing a black jumpsuit, wielding her hammer.

"I'm back.."

Sonic froze and stared at Amy as she walked past him. Her outfit really showed off her curves, which were a lot more defined than they used to be. Sonic thought for a moment, and he never realized how beautiful future Amy was. Even if her eyes were washed away of their beautiful, bright jade, they still had the beauty the old Amy always had. Her face was tired, but still full of life, he just needed to bring it out. He kept staring at her, and slightly smiled. Tails noticed this right away, and smirked."Gee Sonic, I didn't think you were the type who like _older_ women.." he chuckled. Sonic immediately snapped put of his trance, and crossed his arms."WHAT?! No, It's not like that! She's just.._looks different_..that's all!" he said. Tails tsk'd and patted Sonic's back."Whatever you say, Bud..Hehe." Sonic glared at Tails, obviously not liking his teasing.

"Okay, is everyone set?" Amy asked, flipping her hammer up and resting it on her shoulder. Sonic and Tails nodded their heads, and Nilla gave a thumbs up. Amy nodded her head once with a serious face, and put her hand on the door.

"Alright, let's go get my daughter.."


End file.
